A SCHOOL branded one of the UK's worst was re-launched today - with pupils handed free uniforms in a bid to banish its past to the history books.

Blackburn's Blakewater College replaced the old Queen's Park Technology College in the same building and with 10 of the old school's 36 teachers.

But as pupils attended a welcome assembly and tried on their new-look uniforms, education chiefs stressed the replacement school would be a success and represented more than just a name change.

A new 'Blakewater College' sign, complete with new motto 'Effort, achievement, success' adorns the entrance of the school - and classrooms have been decorated and fitted with new chairs and desks.

Its £85,000 superhead Lee Harris, 45, pledged to transform results and revealed: "I'm confident it will be a success. One of my targets is to get Blakewater into the government's list of the 100 most improving school's in the next three years."

To mark the school's new beginning, each of the 600 pupils arriving at the school were given a blue sweatshirt, with pupils in each year given different coloured polo shirt.

The children will keep the elected colour for the duration of their time at the school in a bid to create a sense of community and identity and will continue wearing the black trousers and skirts which made up part of the old purple, blue and black uniform.

They were consulted on the design and decided against a school tie.

Blackburn with Darwen Council said around 50 per cent of the cost was swallowed by grants allocated to low income parents.

The rest was met by £9,000 in grants from the Department of Education and Skills and the Education Development Trust - a registered charity.

Queen's Park was closed by education bosses last month after returning some of the worst GCSE results in the country last year.

Critics have branded the revamp "an extravagant way of buying a school out of special measures" as its re-opening has cost £800,000 to pay for a new management team and fund redundancy packages.

Mr Harris said the alterations were important to emphasise to pupils they were starting a new school.

"I think it was important that a new school has a new uniform as we are giving the pupils a new start and showing we are all together."

Pupils have given the uniforms their seal of approval.

They include 14-year-old Maroof Solkar, who said: "They are much more comfy than before and it feels like we are really having a new start."

Coun Dave Hollings, executive member for education and lifelong learning said:"Blakewater College is a new school, a new start and a new future for everyone involved."

Teaching unions, including the NASUWT, said they wanted the school to succeed but warned: "The proof of the pudding is in the eating."